Show by william leelna 1 by we lillaia md tod a ri sn continued from page ten you ton know I 1 do youre not dot just grateful the use ot of 0 going o in into that the use im a biown woman hard and ai like the hie desert I 1 know what I 1 want dont treat me like a china doll there was in the manner with which she faced him something of the lean leall ferocity of the desert she had mentioned she had cast aside ill all feminine coquetry all the allurement of 0 her sex ser for she knew that unless she broke through his reserve now lie would go away with the word she hoped for unspoken the situation was beyond finesse am I 1 treatie tre atin you like a doll he asked 1 I certainly dont alm to do that do you claim that youre frank with me or fair fair yes res maam not in the least fair I 1 any rig right alit to help decide about my own onn life you yon want to shield me from what people might say even at the expense zif of shutting me off from living slie she flung flans toward him a little appealing and rueful smile why are you tou making it so hard tor for me dave stone I 1 don dont want to go 1111 the way el c e 1 or dozot dont you yon really reilly care P he felt her beating against and wearing away the hard rock of his resolution not to compromise her by involving her fate with his say I 1 care tor for you would that arke m ke it right for me to speak im dave stone we cant get away from that 1 I dont want to get away from it she answered her eyes meeting liis bravely its dave stone I 1 want im tired of fighting I 1 want to rest it Is only your stiff stilt pride that stands between us that eliat Is it if you do care her work hardened hands moved ever so slightly toward him in her look were gifts of more than friendship in that long iong meeting of the eyes the barri harrier tm betoken betaken be taken them mas burned away ife he iines lanew by the e clairvoyance of love that nothing else mattered if lie he had been a bad man lie be was now one no longer that belo belonged ned to yesterdays seven thousand years ears Us ile was tit at the sunrise of a new day ue ile had sloughed glied his past as a forest creature does docs its horns so lie he took her in ills his arms and told her as lovers have since time began how wonderful she was and how bow amazing this experience that had come to him As she looked r t him she wondered how bow she could have thought that face impassive and those eyes liard hard an how hour later they remember remembered ea that this Is a world made up of more than two slowly they moved toward the house A cry startled them julia was standing on the porch with ethel her hand pointed up the trail A horse and rider were coming down it in a very strange way the iho nian man in 1 the ili saddle sagged forward in the seat like a drunkard he lurched unsteadily from side to side julia ran to meet him she stopped the horse and helped the rider dismount phil she cried he was pale find and haggard and piteously spent Ws ills breath came with difficulty on his shirt below the shoulder was a wide deep stain of blood ethel looked up white faced at her sister and murmured hes dying no the boy reassured ile he closed liis his eyes then with an effort opened them it was to stone he spoke wils Is up there in horse thief park got hini him cornered gitner an his crowd stone carried the boy into the house and looked to his hurt clean wound in the shoulder ought to be all right hes lost a lot of blood of course but hell make that up fast fellow got me while I 1 was colln down the canyon phil whispered wo fixed it wils wila an I 1 did that I 1 was to come tor for help it if lie he got caught ile he was at the other end of the park lookin up brands when I 1 heard the sho shoot otlia ln I 1 lit out get help to him quick the message given phil fainted by the bedside of the wounded boy they held a hurried council doctor sanders had to be brought and a posse to be raised but it was essential that help be got to wilson without delay if I 1 only knew the way stone lamented but rd id never find the place instantly julia caught his weaning meaning go alone if you could coul dd she cried then ill take yu YOU IX cje been there she had bad flus hushed lied from despair to sparkling life her tortured soul craved the chance to do something for the man she loved beleaguered beleaguer ed in tho the hills you be afraid to go with me 1 wo 11 then well start right now to make sure stone questioned ahl phil as to the exact location ot of the hidden valley in relation to guada loup canyon for there was it a chance that julias memory might tall fall at the critical moment the parting between ann alan and her texan was not dramatic be careful wont you she asked I 1 Ms his brown browa hands met hers in a strong grip 1 I sure will ITU ill look after him julia prom ased and well take care of phil ann said gald good luck it was two hours past noon when they reached guadaloupe Guada loup canyon 1 not far now the texan told 1 julia cheerfully glanc glancing at the sun wed ought to 1 be there be 1 4 I 1 I 1 fo lore re dalac your plan she asked Hai faient Ua vent ent any well have to go up the gulch if we w get in well see what develops 1 I n was nas as thinking that maybe I 1 could rido ride on and ask to see mr glitter if be knew a posse was on the lie way he be would rit dare to do anything with a question she voiced another thought la in her mind verin gly do you think jas Is with him now dont you yon worry about that either we dont know a than thing ff about it like as not lie he 1 I thought it if 1 could get to talk with jas ins 21 well see how that works 0 out ut I 1 dont reckon get a cliance chance this Is mighty serious business it surprise me if the rustlers had lit out for mexico now been located they wont stick around long iong for they know be smoked out soon as a posse can get to lem cm 11 the directions given by phil together with julias julia recollection of the country guided them straight to the gulch up which the trail to Dun dunnigs wigs ranch led they fellanto tell fel into linto single file julia thou thought glit she ought to go first because ab she was a woman and would not be attacked but the texan absolutely refused to consider such an arrangement youre goto goin up into the park only because im seared scared to leave you alone down here he told her with a smile do you reckon I 1 can bilde liide behind you an hold my hald up afterward d they traveled the whole length of the gulch unchallenged passed through the narrow exit and entered the grassy valley beyond looks like the birds have flown stone suggested after a long look around even as lie he spoke there came the sound of a shot and after it a rat aling volley tolley ot of them julia much excited pointed to a smell puff of smoke in the upper end ot of the park look looka she cried you lou wait here stone ordered as he gave his horse the spur and galloped forward after a moment of indecision the girl followed CHAPTER XV 7 homeward bound ILSON mccann knew that W WILSON with the coming of dawn the storm would break upon him it was not possible to find an ideal location for defense but lie ho chose a sand pit surrounded by boulders ers the hours wore away slowly ue he cat napped a little but he dared not let himself get sound asleep tor for fear they might creep on him in the darkness gray fight sifted into the sky A meadow lark piped up its gay cliar rupy challenge dawn was at hand lie he ate a sandwich and drank from the canteen he had replenished at a spring sprang soon now he be told himself lie ile saw signs of life about the house smoke rose from the chimney A man came out and went to the spring tor for water through his field glasses he presently saw others emerge all carried rifles they trooped to the corral saddled horses and rode cautiously into the pine grove evidently they wanted to make sure he was not hidden there after a consultation they rode down the hillside and disappeared into a dip ot of the valley floor they came out of the shadowy dawn like wraiths of evil not boldly riding grouped to together gether but coyote fashion lash lon through the mesquite that feln fringed ed the park walls lie ile counted them one two three tour four lie ile watched them dismount and take their horses back of a clump of small pines one by one they AQUI ait und taff th TO BE CONTINUED CUM TIN 01 |